Los Angeles has issued two ordinances (the “Ordinances”) which require that employees who perform at least two hours of work in a given week within the City of Los Angeles receive greater paid sick leave benefits than are required under California’s Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act of 2014. While the Ordinances go into effect on July 1, 2016, (that’s right, next month!) for employers with 26 or more employees, there is a one year reprieve for employers with fewer employees.

Accrual, Use, and Carry‐Over

The Ordinances require employees working in the City of Los Angeles to be provided with and permitted to use at least 48 hours (six days) of paid sick leave per year, doubling the current California requirement.

As under California law, the Ordinances provide that sick leave accrues at a rate of one (1) hour for every 30 hours worked. In lieu of accrual, covered employers can “front‐load” all 48 hours (6 days) of paid sick leave at the beginning of each anniversary date, calendar year or 12‐month period.

The Ordinances provide that covered employees must be permitted to carry over at least 72 hours of paid sick leave from one year to the next. As of the publication of this Client Alert, the City of Los Angeles has yet to clarify whether this carry‐over requirement applies when employers front‐load paid sick leave.